​Healthcare Information Technology (IT) is a hot job field, especially in the Atlanta area. We wanted to see what skills were most highly demanded. We analyzed 10 Health IT job descriptions from hospitals and healthcare companies in the Atlanta market to find out.Our jobs came from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckesson.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">McKesson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.anthem.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Anthem</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aetna.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Aetna</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wellstar.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Wellstar</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Emory Healthcare</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gradyhealth.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Grady Healthcare</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northside.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Northside Hospital</a>. The roles included Product Owners, Product Managers, Security Analysts, Project Managers, Solutions Architects, Software Engineers, Network Services Engineers and even Director-level leadership roles. This gave us a good representation of what Health IT skills were most in demand in Atlanta.<h3>And here’s what came out of the word cloud:​</h3><img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBM2ZXQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--49bcc726c77268b969e66fe56174aa456b561a98/Healthcare-IT-Skills-In-Demand-In-Atlanta-Cropped.png">It wasn’t enough to just do a word cloud, though. We also wanted to assess the availability of those skills in the Atlanta market.For that, we went to our friends at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careerbuilder.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">CareerBuilder</a>&nbsp;for talent insights.<h2>Information Security</h2>Information Security was the highest demanded skill. This is not a surprise. Healthcare companies have a lot of sensitive health data to safeguard. The skill is also mandated by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). This further increases the demand for this skill.So what does the market look like for this type of talent?Currently, for information security, there are 1,471 professionals and 7,528 related jobs in Atlanta.The average candidate has between 11 and 15 years of experience. They also typically have a Bachelor’s degree. The majority of the degrees come from Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University.The median salary for an Information Security role is $90,000. The low end of compensation is $54,770 and the higher end of compensation is $126,650.<img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBMzdXQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f060135ae29d6b6dfa03fe0ccd3dec61b2ddbf17/Compensation-Details-(1).png"><img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBNGpXQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c59c73078feb911b881922708338a9d8fbfd37ec/Education&amp;Experience-Details-Summary.png">Chart sources: CareerBuilder<h2>Systems Analyst</h2>Healthcare companies have many systems to optimized in order to ensure the most positive patient outcomes. Human lives are at stake. They can’t afford to wait on an inefficient system in order to receive the care they need.So what does the market look like for this type of talent in Atlanta?There are currently 2,158 Systems Analysts and 7,091 Systems Analyst Jobs.The average Systems Analyst in the Atlanta Market has between six and ten six to ten years of experience. They also typically hold a Bachelor's degree, which is usually from Georgia State University.The median compensation for a Systems Analyst is $75,000. The lower end of the salary range is $53,560 and the higher end is $96,000.<img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBMy9XQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--aa2275be305c3e32150ae43a31a43b5ac163fb27/Compensation-Details-(4).png"><img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBNG5XQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--77644f6a43b698b3447c7a6417f38cbfbca197e3/Education&amp;Experience-Details-Summary-(1).png">Chart Sources: CareerBuilder<h2>Degrees</h2>We learned that degrees are important to healthcare hiring managers. It was in every job description we pulled. We have found that there is usually a preference for certain schools when hiring talent. According to CareerBuilder, people with the talent above most often graduated from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsu.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Georgia State University</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kennesaw.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Kennesaw State University,</a><a href="https://www.phoenix.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">University of Phoenix</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.devry.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Devry College</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatech.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Georgia Tech</a>. Talking to job seekers from any of these schools would give you the greatest options of talent for your jobs.<h3>Schools that produce the most information security talent​</h3><img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBNHpXQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8a824f6ae2d110836e50654918fe64e3e1dc3bb2/Screen-Shot-2020-03-10-at-2.57.26-PM.png"><h3>Schools that produce the most systems analyst talent</h3><img src="https://www.ehire.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBNDNXQkE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0a8cac3ea5d624abfad3c6e337f56188c438dde1/Screen-Shot-2020-03-10-at-2.55.04-PM.png"><h3>Soft Skills Are Still Important</h3>We noticed a number of soft skills that came up in our word cloud. This told us that technical chops weren’t enough. Healthcare IT professionals also need to exhibit leadership skills.Verbal communication skills were a repeating skill requested. Typing great code is only half the battle. These professionals also need to communicate well with others in the organization so they can drive change.Another area we noticed was strategy. The roles we studied weren’t simply software development. Healthcare companies need people who can analyze the big picture and offer innovative solutions.We also liked seeing the word customer. Focus on the customer is critical in healthcare with big implications for both the patient and provider.<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/life-sciences-and-health-care/articles/elevating-health-care-consumer-experience.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 124, 65); background-color: transparent;">Matthew Hitch of Deloitte Healthcare</a>&nbsp;summed this notion up perfectly:<blockquote>“Many consumers expect a different experience and set of interactions with their health care providers than they have in the past, and this holds true across age groups and customer segments. If health care providers don’t fully embrace the idea of customer-driven encounters, they can open themselves up to risk. First, their ability to attract and retain patients within their network can become severely limited, and second, payment contract mechanisms that are changing due to value-based care require a much closer patient-provider relationship, especially with the expectation that patients will start engaging in activities on their own to look after their health. So, unless the provider-patient relationship changes, an organization may compromise its ability to manage risk.”</blockquote><h3>Bringing It All Together</h3>Healthcare companies in Atlanta have a tremendous need for technical talent, but it can be hard to find. The shortage also means most healthcare IT professionals are already employed and may be difficult to recruit. eHire specializes in helping you find the best people quickly so you can meet your deadlines and achieve your goals, which in your case, means saving more lives and keeping humans healthy.Feel free to chat with us and let us know your biggest takeaways from the article. We are also happy to provide you with additional talent insights that are relevant to your specific needs. Just let us know. We’re here to help.

Highest Demanded Skills in Healthcare IT